Odisha: Green panel says no to Posco plant

New Delhi: Yet another setback for South Korean multinational Posco's plans to build a steel plant in Odisha. The National Green Tribunal on Friday has suspended the environment clearance given to Posco a year ago by then Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.

Ramesh had appointed a special four-member committee and had given the environment clearance even though only one member Meena Gupta had voted in favour of the project.

The bench questioned how Jairam Ramesh gave clearance to the project based just on Meena Guptas report - it showed a clear "departmental bias" as she was from Orissa. The court also observed that the project should generate its own source of water instead of utilising the drinking water meant for the Cuttack city in Orissa.